Cooking Instructions

In enameled or stainless steel saucepan, add all ingredients except eggs and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep for at least two hours. To easily hard boil & peel all fresh eggs, even right from the coop: Bring water to a rolling boil. Place eggs in pot on slotted spoon or ladle. Some eggs may crack but they should still be ok. I do remove any unsightly ones. Boil quail eggs for 10-12 minutes, chicken eggs for 14-15 minutes. Pour hot water off and replace with cold water. Keep switching water out until eggs are cool. You can use ice cubes but cold tap water usually works just fine. Transfer eggs to colander once cool. Peel eggs in a bowl of cold water and shells should slip right off, even fresh ones from the coop/pen. For quail eggs, remove the membrane. Its ok to leave it on but once pickled in the jars, it will look sloppy. Pack approximately 23-25 quail eggs per jar (jars should be sterilized and hot at this point). Ladle hot liquid and spices over eggs and wipe rim of jars clean with a damp towel leaving ½ headspace. Place lids on the jars and screw on band tops. Process jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (once water returns to a boil). Remove from the hot water and set aside to cool. Jars should seal as they cool. Any jars that do not seal properly should be refrigerated and consumed within 2 weeks. Allow properly sealed jars to sit unrefrigerated at least 5 weeks before eating. (OK to eat sooner but flavors dont fully combine until at least 5 weeks and only get better the longer they sit). For stronger flavor, poke holes in eggs with a toothpick before placing in the jars. Refrigerate after opening.

Note: Feel free to add more/less hot peppers and herbs to your liking. Sometimes I also add some tabasco or habanero sauce to the brine for a little more heat. Enjoy!